best dis of a cyclist from a motorist

I had breakfast with a friend this morning. She said her 81 year old dad had been driving and a cyclist blew off a number of red lights and was weaving in and out of traffic. At one point that they were side by side.
Dad rolled down his Window and said, "why don't you just paint your bike white now and save your parents the aggravation."

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Permalink Reply by David P. on December 22, 2013 at 7:02pm

That was good!

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on December 23, 2013 at 2:38am

Great!

Permalink Reply by Bill Savage on December 25, 2013 at 5:03pm

I do things like this even when I'm on my bicycle (v. the rare times when I'm driving a rented car).  When the bike ninjas go by, dressed all in black, on bikes with no lights or reflectors, and zip past me, I yell "You're gonna be a hood ornament someday!"

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 26, 2013 at 5:29am

Good line!

Bill Savage said:

I do things like this even when I'm on my bicycle (v. the rare times when I'm driving a rented car).  When the bike ninjas go by, dressed all in black, on bikes with no lights or reflectors, and zip past me, I yell "You're gonna be a hood ornament someday!"

Permalink Reply by Duppie on December 26, 2013 at 6:01am

Am I the only one who thinks the 81-year old dad is a bit of a prick?

An 81 year old can drive a 4000LB vehicle  without regards to their skills and abilities, but if a bicyclist behaves stupid, we need to get all self-righteous and smart-alecky. It is a sad reflection on our car oriented culture.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on December 26, 2013 at 6:23am

I don't think he was being a prick at all. I don't think his status as a driver has any bearing on the appropriateness of his comment.

Statistically speaking, I imagine your average 81yo driver poses a greater overall risk to the public than a single cyclist. However, we know nothing specific about that driver. We do know (or at least were told) that the cyclist was riding in an unsafe manner. Perhaps the driver was a former colleague of Mario Andretti's and is an outstanding driver, even at his relatively advanced age?

Would he seemed like less of a prick to you if he was riding a bike or walking instead of driving? If so, why?

Permalink Reply by David Barish on December 26, 2013 at 6:39am


I agree. I think it had less to do with him being a driver than him being 81 and understanding what a white bike means. The behavior of the cyclist seems to warrant the quip.  Certainly, there are lots of drivers out there who's disregard for cyclists makes me want to say to them, "hey, I will give you my balaclava because an executioner's hood seems more appropriate on you." but that is not what this little story was about. How many of us have been on our bike and been passed by some goof and thought to ourselves, "I hope he makes it home in one piece." The protagonist of the original post was making the same observation in a slightly more caustic or cranky manner. He, by the way, is not driving anymore as time has passed him by and he can't hold time's wheel. Also, from the story I was told I can't tell whether he was the driver or the passenger. Elderly drivers can be a danger. a young girl lost  her life a year or so ago to an elderly driver downstate.

Skip Montanaro 12mi said:

I don't think he was being a prick at all. I don't think his status as a driver has any bearing on the appropriateness of his comment.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 26, 2013 at 7:03am

+1

David Barish said:


I agree. I think it had less to do with him being a driver than him being 81 and understanding what a white bike means. The behavior of the cyclist seems to warrant the quip.  Certainly, there are lots of drivers out there who's disregard for cyclists makes me want to say to them, "hey, I will give you my balaclava because an executioner's hood seems more appropriate on you." but that is not what this little story was about. How many of us have been on our bike and been passed by some goof and thought to ourselves, "I hope he makes it home in one piece." The protagonist of the original post was making the same observation in a slightly more caustic or cranky manner. He, by the way, is not driving anymore as time has passed him by and he can't hold time's wheel. Also, from the story I was told I can't tell whether he was the driver or the passenger. Elderly drivers can be a danger. a young girl lost  her life a year or so ago to an elderly driver downstate.

Skip Montanaro 12mi said:

I don't think he was being a prick at all. I don't think his status as a driver has any bearing on the appropriateness of his comment.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on December 26, 2013 at 8:58am

You guys just prove my point. Hearsay from David, based on hearsay from David's friend, based on conjecture (the 81 year old man's opinion of something he saw) is reason enough to judge the bicyclist and say that the quip was justified.

Yet we cannot judge the 81 year old man himself because we don't know anything about him and he 'might be a former colleague of Mario Andretti?"

Really? That makes it an incredible sad statement about our culture...

David Barish said:


I agree. I think it had less to do with him being a driver than him being 81 and understanding what a white bike means. The behavior of the cyclist seems to warrant the quip.  Certainly, there are lots of drivers out there who's disregard for cyclists makes me want to say to them, "hey, I will give you my balaclava because an executioner's hood seems more appropriate on you." but that is not what this little story was about. How many of us have been on our bike and been passed by some goof and thought to ourselves, "I hope he makes it home in one piece." The protagonist of the original post was making the same observation in a slightly more caustic or cranky manner. He, by the way, is not driving anymore as time has passed him by and he can't hold time's wheel. Also, from the story I was told I can't tell whether he was the driver or the passenger. Elderly drivers can be a danger. a young girl lost  her life a year or so ago to an elderly driver downstate.

Skip Montanaro 12mi said:

I don't think he was being a prick at all. I don't think his status as a driver has any bearing on the appropriateness of his comment.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on December 26, 2013 at 9:21am

Are you just trolling? WTF difference does it make if the guy is 45 or 81, a careful, teetotaling driver or just coming home from work after a Friday beer with his buds? The comment he is reported to have made seems apropos to the described situation. I only wish I was so quick with the rejoinders. Riding like a jerk suggests you're more likely to come to a sorry end. Might as well paint your bike white ahead of time and save your parents the hassle.

Permalink Reply by David Barish on December 26, 2013 at 9:46am

While we really don't know what happened in the encounter and while it is clear I am getting a filtered story through the daughter and am passing it on here I will assume only one thing for sure- that his quote is accurate. We can only guess what happened otherwise.  

What could have happened? 

If the old guy doesn't like a guy on a bike and decides to make a smart remark he is a prick. 

If the old guy is cutting off the guy on the bike and then makes the comment he is a prick who is deflecting his own culpability with a smart remark.

If I take my friend who knows I am a lifelong cyclist  at her word that her dad told her that a cyclist had run a number of read lights and was weaving in traffic, the comment was very accurate and funny and  much lighter than the kind of "Hey %@#& why don't you ride on the sidewalk where you belong" kind of thing that we often hear. The reality is I wish I had thought of the line  myself. I may employ it the next time it is appropriate.  I got a kick out of the fact that somebody's dad came up with the line and thought I would pass it on.  

I really missed the boat on who I would offend. I figured that I might draw some criticism from somebody close to somebody else who had died on the road. I thought perhaps the comment may ruffle somebody who knows a ghost rider. I can understand that. I didn't think I would offend simply because the cyclist is always right on this forum.  That, I hate to say, simply is not true.  We take the cyclist's side and promote it here. However, the right and wrong of each encounter can vary.  This is no different from a union friend of mine who loves to do battle with the company but has his greatest trouble when he has to tell one of the rank and file that he is in the wrong. It happens.

With that, I think I have to decline to post any more on this thread. I don't mean to post and run but I simply don't want a flame war especially with somebody I generally respect.


Duppie said:

You guys just prove my point. Hearsay from David, based on hearsay from David's friend, based on conjecture (the 81 year old man's opinion of something he saw) is reason enough to judge the bicyclist and say that the quip was justified.

Yet we cannot judge the 81 year old man himself because we don't know anything about him and he 'might be a former colleague of Mario Andretti?"

Really? That makes it an incredible sad statement about our culture...

Permalink Reply by Chitown_Mike on December 27, 2013 at 8:35am

It seems that you are the only one who thinks that.  

I prefer to call out the self-righteous cyclists that ride the way the one described above had when I am on my own bike.  But I won't hesitate when in my car or walking either; so if I am younger than the man in the story, and I weigh less than his vehicle, that gives me more allowance to say something?  Or is it the OP's story hit a scofflaw nerve of yours?

Old man in a car aside, we need to "police" our own.  If the above joke catches someone's attention and through a humorous (I find it worth a chuckle) internet intervention causes a change in a fellow rider's attitude we could see a life saved AND a better image amongst the non-cycling populous.  The drive wouldn't have said a thing if the rider wasn't jumping lights and being a nuisance in traffic.  Well, except maybe a "Thanks for one less car on the road" quip.


Duppie said:

Am I the only one who thinks the 81-year old dad is a bit of a prick?

An 81 year old can drive a 4000LB vehicle  without regards to their skills and abilities, but if a bicyclist behaves stupid, we need to get all self-righteous and smart-alecky. It is a sad reflection on our car oriented culture.

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